For the second straight year, Floyd Mayweather is earning his nickname as the undefeated boxer was proclaimed the highest-earning athlete in American sports for 2013 reeling in a total of $90 million combining his salary, winnings and endorsements. Some sports fans may not know who “Money May” is, but the boxer has the skill to back up his never ending trash talking.
Unlike team sports, Boxing has the ability to take one particular fighter and turn him into a nationwide icon who millions of people look up to. Because the sport has reached such a dark area in terms of fans, the question now becomes whether or not Mayweather’s insane salary makes the sport more or less appealing — for me the answer is simple because of the envious world that we all live in.
Borderline boxing fans will purposefully not tune in to Mayweather fights once they hear of his bank statements simply because his income is disgustingly high. Call it jealousy, envy or anger, but the final verdict is that people don’t like when athletes make more money than their doctors.
Boxing is entering a crossroads with Mayweather and Manny Pacquiáo both bowing out as some of the best to ever enter the ring. Either way, fans are going to be turned off left and right once they hear that an arrogant boxer raking in $90 million every year. After every fight the legend of Maywether grows, however the hatred of that same boxer escalates whenever polls surface that he is indeed the richest athlete in America.